The Land Beyond the Fence
by dlouc
Summary: Arthur used to have a good life in Berlin until the war started, and his family was forced to move for his father's job. Arthur hates his new home in Poland. Then he meets Merlin, a boy who lives in a strange place on the other side of the fence. What starts as a friendship morphs into something more, as the two get caught in a sinister secret that could cost them their lives.
1. Chapter 1

This story is loosely inspired by the Boy in the Striped Pajamas. I originally intended this to be an AU of the Boy in the Striped Pajamas, but I ended up changing most of the storyline in the process of writing it, so I don't think it qualifies as an AU of the novel anymore. Whatever this is, enjoy.

Arthur glanced to the clock, seeing the clock hand hadn't moved since the last time he checked. Surely the clock must be broken. Time didn't really move this slowly. There was absolutely nothing to do, so Arthur sat alone on the staircase, staring at the clock on the wall and praying the day would just end already. But of course, it was just barely past two in the afternoon. There were eight more hours to suffer through.

Arthur hated his life now. He used to live in a beautiful home in the middle Berlin. He used to be able to roam the city all day with his friends. Oh yeah, and he actually had friends. But then 1939 came around and the stupid war started. At first things weren't so bad. Nothing much happened after Poland fell (well, nothing Arthur really cared about anyway). Life seemed to go back to normal, until his father, who held some sort of important position in the Nazi party, as he always reminded everyone, had gotten a promotion. Sure, Arthur had been excited for his father, until he found out that the particular promotion required his entire family to leave Berlin. Now he lived in a stupid, prison-like house somewhere in Poland, though it felt like the middle of nowhere.

It was so lonely here. The house always felt so empty. It was just him, his father (who was always locked in his office doing god-knows-what), and his sister. Of course there were always the maids, and the occasional soldier passing through, but they never talked to him. Arthur's sister, Morgana, was almost never around. Ever since the war started, Morgana had devoted herself to the Nazi party. She mostly just locked herself in her room, studying the ideology. Uther was so proud of Morgana, but she was a woman and would never be able to follow in his footsteps and become an S.S. officer. Which is why his attention was often directed to Arthur. And Arthur hated it. It wasn't that he wasn't devoted to the party of anything. He'd grown up in it, it's all he's ever known. But all that reading, it just wasn't Arthur's thing. The list of Nazi works he's studied started and ended with Mein Kampf, and it had taken Uther months to get Arthur to read it. Arthur would much rather spend his time reading epic stories of ancient battles and wizards and princes and princesses. And dragons! Arthur loved dragons. By now, Uther had mostly given up on Arthur, so he was free to wander around the lonely property while his sister was in her room and his father was in his office. The house and grounds were pretty big, but in the two months they'd lived there, Arthur had managed to explore every nook and cranny there was. He was forbidden to ever leave the grounds, and there was nothing left to do on the grounds, so Arthur sat alone on the staircase. He's been doing that a lot lately.

Arthur often liked to imagine what existed beyond the house and the grounds. He knew there was something out there. He had seen it in the distance when they were moving in, and he used to be able to see something from his bedroom window. When he had mentioned this to his father, his bedroom window was boarded up and the backyard put strictly off limits. Arthur was dying to find out what was out there, but there was simply no way to slip away into the woods with so many soldiers everywhere, all reporting directly to his father. So Arthur sat and waited, hoping for his chance to do something.

It was several nights later that the Pendragons finally all got together for a family dinner. In Berlin, this was a daily occurrence, but they hadn't had dinner together once since moving to Poland. It wouldn't seem like it would be difficult for three people to find time to have dinner together, especially considering that Arthur never had anything going on. But Uther always was busy with work and Morgana claimed she had to study.

The dinner turned out to be extremely awkward and silent. Arthur guessed that's what happens when a family hardly talks to each other in two months. Twenty minutes passed before anyone spoke a word. Finally, Morgana decided to break the silence.

"This dinner is nice."

Uther just nodded, not really paying attention.

"Yeah." Arthur agreed. "I wish we could do this more often."

Turning to his father, Arthur added, "I hate how much you have to work."

Morgana seemed shocked Arthur would say something so brash, and looked as if she was going to kick him from under the table, but Uther didn't seem bothered.

"I know it can be hard, but I have a very important job."

"It can't be that important." Arthur muttered bitterly.

"Our father is an S.S. officer." Morgana said harshly.

"So?" Arthur asked.

"He protects us from the threat of Jews. You've no idea where we would be without the S.S." Morgana explained, her voice starting to sound calmer but her eyes growing more murderous.

"I just don't understand why the Jews are so dangerous that father has to work al…" Arthur started to say, but was cut off, not by Morgana but by his father.

"I know you've read Mein Kampf, Arthur. It explains everything. Really, you should know these things if you ever want to be a member of the S.S. You're almost 18, son. Less than three years and you…"

"But what if I don't want to be in the S.S.?"

Uther froze, his face completely devoid of all emotion. Arthur knew now he really fucked up.

"I'm sorry." Arthur said quickly. "I'm just sick of you having to work so much. Ever since mother died…" He trailed off, as if getting choked up. Uther's face softened. Bringing up his mother always helped get him out of tough situations with his father.

"It's just until Germany's won the war." Uther said.

"I know. But it's already 1941. It's been almost three years. How much longer?"

Uther didn't answer, instead deciding to change the subject.

"I've noticed you've been just sitting around lately."

Arthur just shrugged.

"Why don't you come up with a project you could work on." Uther suggested.

"I'm not writing a report, if that's what you're saying." Arthur stated.

"No. I was thinking you could build something. Like a swing maybe."

"Father, I'm 15." Arthur exclaimed indignantly.

"Well then build something do something. I'm sure you can find some tools and materials in the shed out back."

Arthur could see that his father wasn't about to let this go, so he just nodded silently in agreement. Claiming he was tired, he excused himself from the table and went to his bedroom.

Although he really didn't want to, Arthur decided the next morning to build something. Maybe he wanted, deep down, to please his father. Maybe it was just sheer boredom. Either way, Arthur skipped breakfast that morning and went out to the shed to find the tools. He had never really built anything before, and actually had no experience with tools what-so-ever. He'd figure he'd mess around and hope that whatever he threw together looked something that could possibly resemble anything other than a mess of wood and nails. He doubted his father would really care what he did, just that he did something.

It was a bit chilly that morning, and it looked as if it was going to rain. At that point, though, Arthur was beyond caring. He happily skipped around to the back garden, which was really just a pathetic little patch of brown grass surrounded by a crumbling wall. In the corner stood (just barely) a small little wooden shed. It looked as if it once was painted red, but now the walls were just weathered wood with flakes of red paint scattered around.

Arthur walked up and pulled open the door (which was not an easy task considering how rusted the hinges were) and scanned over the shelves that lined the interior walls. Most of the shed was filled with the most useless odds and ends imaginable, save for the top shelf (because of course the useful things had to be the hardest to reach) which held a modest toolbox. Figuring that was probably a good place to start, Arthur pulled himself up onto the first shelf then started climbing. The shelves did not look like they would support him, but they surprisingly held up, and Arthur managed to reach the top shelf. He was about to grab the toolbox when he noticed the window. It hung above the highest shelf, cracked and too grimy to see through. It looked as if it hadn't been opened in years, but was propped slightly open with an old rag. Arthur pushed the window up, seeing it opened into the woods beyond the garden wall. He glanced around, making sure the coast was clear, then he slipped through the window. He tumbled to the forest floor, finally feeling as if he was free for the first time in months. He picked himself up, then decided to take off running.

Arthur raced between the trees that towered above him, not caring at all where he ended up. The images of the forest flew by, and before he knew it, Arthur had run out of the forest and into a field filled with tall grass and yellow wild flowers. It stretched several meters ahead before meeting the base of a hill. The sun was low in the sky, night would be upon him soon. But Arthur decided he had to see what was beyond the hill. There was no telling when he'd have another chance to slip off the property unnoticed. He might as well make the most of the time he had.

He scrambled up the hill, finding himself in front of a massive barbed-wire fence. Arthur inched forward, gazing over the strange place in front of him. The ground beyond the fence was dead and cracking. The sky was blanketed in a dark haze that seemed to be coming from a chimney in the distance, pouring black smoke into the sky. The stench was awful, the whole place smelled of death. Then Arthur noticed the boy.

He was crouched behind a pile of earth on the other side of the fence, his skeleton-like arms hugging his thin frame. His head was shaved and he wore what looked like blue and white striped pajamas.

Arthur crept closer, but the boy didn't seem to notice him.

"Hello?"

The boy jumped, looking up at Arthur in a panic as he tried to back away.

"Don't be scared!" Arthur said quickly. "I'm not going to hurt you."

The boy remained frozen in place, his piercing blue eyes fixed on Arthur.

"Do you speak German?" Arthur asked, remembering that he was not in fact in Germany anymore.

The boy nodded slightly, but didn't say anything. He still didn't move a centimeter.

"I'm Arthur." Arthur said cheerfully. "What's your name?"

The boy looked at him curiously, but remained silent.

"Are you alright?" Arthur asked.

"I have to go." The boy announced, then ran from behind the pile and across the dead field beyond.

"Well alright then." Arthur muttered to himself.

The last light of day was fading from the sky, so Arthur turned around and headed home, the image of the strange boy still in his mind.

Sneaking into the woods through the window in the shed proved to be quite easy, to Arthur's surprise. No one ever went into the back garden, nor did they care enough about him to notice his absence. Trips to the woods became a daily event for Arthur. He could spend hours just lying by the small creek, or climbing the trees, or just walking around. But no matter what he did, Arthur could never stop thinking about that strange place beyond the fence. He was so curious, had so many questions, but at the same time he was terrified of it.

It took Arthur a week to work up the courage to go back. It took some time finding it again, but he did eventually stumble back upon that hill. The smell when he reached the top was just as bad as he remembered it. What on earth was being burning? He strained his eyes, trying to see the smoke-stack through the fence. That was when he noticed the boy. It was the same boy from before, crouched in the same spot behind the pile.

Arthur walked up to the fence slowly, trying not to scare the boy like last time.

"Hello?" He whispered. The boy looked up, but didn't jump like last time. He just looked confused.

Arthur continued. "Hi. I was here a few days ago. My name's…"

"Arthur. I remembered." The boy cut in. His accent was strange, but he didn't seem to have much trouble speaking German. "My name's Merlin."

"Hello Merlin." Arthur said, walking up to the fence so he could reach through it.

"No!" Merlin shouted before Arthur could touch anything. Merlin turned back to the pile, picked up a small piece of metal and threw it at the fence. It hit it and with the sound of a sharp pop, fell to the ground in a shower of sparks.

"It's electric." Merlin explained. "If you touch it, you die."

"Thanks."

Merlin smiled, then sat back down in front of the fence. Arthur decided to follow suit.

"So what are you doing here?" Arthur finally asked.

"What are you doing here?" Merlin countered.

"I was bored." Arthur answered.

"Yeah. Me too." Merlin said with a smile (an absolutely gorgeous smile). "I don't fancy building much, so I'm hiding back here so I don't have to."

"Building?"

"Yeah. They have us building barracks. Over there." Merlin explained, pointing across the field to several wooden structures. There were other boys in the same strange outfits as Merlin, but they were just standing in a line.

"Shit! Shift's over." Merlin exclaimed, jumping up and grabbing a hammer that had been discarded on the ground.

"Bye!" He called, then ran back across the field.

Weeks flew by. Arthur returned to the fence whenever he could, and to his delight, Merlin was always waiting for him. The two would just sit and talk for hours on end. Arthur would tell of his life in Berlin, and Merlin would go on and on about his life before the war. He never talked about how he ended up in this strange place, and Arthur never asked. He figured it was probably a sensitive topic for Merlin. They told jokes, and laughed until they cried, and tried to play stupid games through the fence. Arthur would bring his favourite books and read aloud to Merlin, and Merlin would tell the legends his grandparents had told him when he was young. Arthur loved watching Merlin's eyes light up as he told stories of magical stone warriors that would spring to life, or magical shape-shifting birds that lived off blood, or of times when giants roamed the Earth. For those fews hours each day, everything seemed almost perfect. Almost.

As the weeks passed, Arthur began to notice something changing in Merlin. Merlin never stopped telling his stories, or stopped laughing, but his face was becoming more gaunt, his eyes looking more sunken every time Arthur visited. He was growing weaker by the day. Arthur tried to bring it up a few times, but Merlin never seemed to want to talk about it. Arthur would drop it, figuring it was a tough subject for Merlin, but after a month he couldn't keep the act up.

"Why are you so thin?" Arthur finally demanded one day.

Merlin looked taken aback. After a moment, he just shrugged. "Can you keep reading?"

Arthur closed the book he had been reading aloud, setting in in the grass beside him.

"Why are you so thin?" Arthur asked again.

Merlin didn't answer.

"Honestly, you look awful." Arthur continued. "You look like you're starving."

Merlin just stared at him, his eyes the only answer Arthur needed.

"Oh god! You really are starving." Arthur exclaimed as the realisation hit him. "Why on earth wouldn't you tell me!?"

"I didn't want you to get mixed up in it all." Merlin muttered.

"I have food! I have plenty of food. You should have told me. I'll bring some tomorrow…"

"No." Merlin cut in.

"What do you mean no? You look lik…"

"It's too dangerous." Merlin insisted.

Arthur stood up, grabbing the book on the ground. "You look as if you are about to drop dead."

Merlin's eyes filled with guilt, but he didn't say anything.

"I'm bringing food. Tomorrow." Arthur said, then turned to leave. Merlin tried to protest, but Arthur was already halfway down the hill.

The next day it poured. Rain pelted the windows, it pooled in the yard turning the sad, pathetic, patch of dead grass into a sad, pathetic patch of mud. Arthur, his bag full of bread and cheese and scraps of meat he'd manage to steal from the pantry, wasn't about to let this stop him from returning to the fence, but as he tried slipping into the back garden, someone stopped him.

"Hey. Where are you going?" Boomed a voice from behind. Arthur turned around to see a young soldier walking towards him. His blonde hair and blue eyes matched Arthur's, and he only seemed to be a year or two older.

"I… uh… forgot something outside." Arthur answered quickly.

"You'll get soaked. Stay inside today." The soldier commanded.

"But…"

"You can get it when it stops raining." The soldier said, his voice softening. "I'm Fritz, by the way. And I assume you are Arthur?"

"Yeah." Arthur answered sullenly, turning away from the garden.

"Fritz!" Shouted a voice. A moment later Arthur's father marched into the room.

"I see you met my son." He said coldly. Fritz looked terrified, just like everyone else who had the misfortune to work for Uther.

"Get back to work! There is a transfer coming in from another camp, the train arrives this afternoon. Make sure the crematorium is fully operational."

Fritz nodded stiffly, then hurried from the room. Uther turned to leave, but paused just before he reached the door.

"Oh, and Arthur, you will be starting school tomorrow."

"What?!" Arthur nearly shouted. "Where? Will I be going into town?"

Uther laughed, actually laughed at that. "No! Of course not. I will not have you associating with the like of Poles." He spat, saying Poles as if the word itself was dirty. "I've hired a tutor. You and Morgana will share him. I trust he will give you a proper education that aligns with our beliefs." And with that, he left.

Arthur laid in the field next to the fence, staring up into the sky. Merlin sat on the other side of the fence, finishing up the last of the food Arthur had brought that day. Several days had passed since Arthur had started "school", which was just some old guy shoving books on him and ranting about how wonderful Hitler is. Most days now, he didn't have a chance to get away until five, and he always had to be back home before seven for dinner or the maids would get suspicious.

The lesson today had been particularly exhausting. Herr Schmidt, Arthur's tutor, had him and Morgana read through a pamphlet about the dangers of Jews. He didn't think there could be so many ways to say "Jews are greedy and will destroy everything that is right in the world", but the authors of the pamphlet really outdid themselves. They managed to fill 80 pages with just different variations of that. Arthur was sure his eyes were going to fall out.

"I hate having to have school." Arthur grumbled.

"I wish I could go to school." Merlin muttered.

"You don't go to school here?" Arthur asked.

"There is no school. I haven't been to a real school in three years."

"What?"

Merlin shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal.

"I was kicked out of school as soon as the war started."

"Why?" Arthur asked. Merlin stared at him for a moment, as if he was trying to decide if the question was real or not.

"Because I'm a Jew..." He said uncertainly.

Arthur immediately sat up. Surely Merlin was joking. But studying his face, he could see that he was being completely serious.

"What?! You're a Jew?"

"That's why I'm here." Merlin said, motioning around him.

Arthur stood up, not taking his eyes off Merlin.

"Are you alright?" Merlin asked, the concern plastered across his face.

Arthur started backing away, his heart racing. How could he be so stupid!? Every warning about Jews that he's heard all his life suddenly raced through his mind. They were tricky. Cunning. Greedy. They only sought destruction. They'd want people like him dead. They had caused Germany to lose the Great War. On and on and on. Arthur stumbled back, not seeing clearly but knowing that he needed to get away, and quickly. He could hear Merlin asking where he was going as he started to run away. He crashed back into the forest, tearing his way back to the safety of his home.

It took three days for the fear to wear off. Then the guilt settled in. In those three days, Arthur had gone through every Nazi book, every Nazi pamphlet he'd been given. Description after description, and warning after warning. There was so much information about Jews. But no matter how hard Arthur tried, pulling at every memory he had of Merlin, he couldn't make any sense of it. Merlin was none of the things mentioned in the books. He didn't match any of the descriptions. It wasn't even close.

Arthur paced up and down the hallway in front of his room, reading through one of the shorter pamphlets for the 100th time, when he ran into Morgana. She was about to yell, then noticed what he was reading.

"It's about time." She muttered, then turned to go into her room.

"Wait!" Arthur yelled. She stopped, turning back to him. "I have a question."

"Alright." She said, though she sounded slightly annoyed.

Arthur held up the pamphlet he was reading, showing Morgana the text inside.

"It says that Jews are greedy, and that they only destroy Aryan culture." Arthur started. Morgana nodded. "Aren't there exceptions? They can't all be like that, right?" He asked.

Morgana looked at him curiously for a moment. She turned to look down the staircase to the first floor foyer, where several soldiers, including Fritz, were standing outside father's office. When she turned back to Arthur, something in her eyes had changed.

"No. They are all like that." She said. But her voice lacked the usual power it held, and her eyes, which usually lit up with pride when discussing matters of the Nazi party, just looked defeated. She silently slipped into her room without another word.

On the fourth day, Arthur returned to the fence. He wasn't sure what to expect when he returned. He didn't even know if Merlin would still be there. But as he reached the top of the hill, he could see Merlin sitting there, just as he always did. Merlin didn't say a word as Arthur took his usual spot in front of the fence, just stared at him. Arthur had expected Merlin to yell, or swear, or just leave, but he had not expected this. Not quite sure what else to say, Arthur took the package of food from his bag and handed it to Merlin through the fence. He looked so hungry that day. In Arthur's panic, he had forgotten how much Merlin relied on him for food.

"I'm an idiot." He said after a moment.

"You are a prat." Merlin agreed.

"I'm sorry. I've been told so many things about Jews my whole life. I've been raised to fear them at all costs. But I don't believe it. Any of it." Arthur continued. "They're all just stupid lies, that's all they are."

After a moment, Arthur added, "I really am sorry."

"I know." Merlin whispered.

Things between Arthur and Merlin quickly returned to normal, or as normal as things could get given the circumstances. Merlin seemed eager to put the incident behind them, and Arthur was immensely grateful for that. Still, things were far from easy.

Visiting Merlin every day was getting more difficult. School would often last until almost nightfall, and while Arthur blew off most of his school work, the little he did to get by without his father making a fuss was taking up most of his time. There were more soldiers around the house, too, it seemed. Slipping unnoticed into the garden was not such an easy task anymore. None of this discouraged Arthur, though. Merlin needed him. Arthur couldn't let him starve. But there was something else, too. Arthur couldn't stop thinking about the boy behind the fence, with his soft, blue eyes and gorgeous smile. Arthur couldn't stand to be away from him. He didn't even really know why he felt that way, he's never felt that way towards anyone before. Maybe it was just the whole fucked-up situation they were trapped in.

Arthur raced through the forest, clutching to his chest a bag full of every morsel of food he could swipe from the kitchen when the maids weren't looking. It was the first time in days Arthur had been able to slip away to the garden, and he was determined to make up the lost time (and food) to Merlin. Arthur didn't notice the freezing rain or the bitter wind that blew through the forest that day. Nothing could ruin Arthur's happiness today, he was going to see Merlin.

He reached the fence, and tossed the sack of food over to Merlin before taking his usually seat on the ground. Merlin didn't seem to notice the bag beside him, or the boy sitting in front of him. He remained curled in a tight ball, focusing intently on the dirt below him.

"Hey Merlin." Arthur said cheerfully, but received no response. Merlin stayed silent. A few moments past, before Arthur tried again. "Hey Mer…"

"I'm leaving." Merlin whispered, cutting Arthur off.

"What?"

Merlin hugged himself tighter, not taking his eyes off the ground. Arthur wanted nothing more than to hold to, protect him, do something, but the fence remained in his way, humming a soft warning of its deadly nature should he touch it.

"I'm being transferred." Merlin continued, finally meeting Arthur's eyes. "I don't know where."

Arthur tried to speak, but he couldn't form any words. Merlin couldn't leave! What would become of him without Arthur? He was weak as it was with the extra food, he'd surely starve somewhere else. And what would Arthur do without Merlin? He was the only friend he had.

"Have you any idea where you are going?" Arthur asked quietly, finally finding his voice.

Merlin shrugged. "Maybe another camp. Maybe just another part of this camp."

"What do you mean?" Arthur asked. "Another part of this camp?"

"I think most people here are transferred to the other half of the camp, where the big chimney is." Merlin explained. He looked back to the ground. "I don't know what they do there."

"Father says they burn the rubbish there." Arthur said, remembering the last time the black smoke had blown over to the house. "They probably just need more people to help manage of the waste from the camp."

Merlin nodded, as if to say "oh".

"It's a farther walk, but I could still visit you." Arthur said, looking to the other end of the camp. It didn't look to be more than a kilometer or two.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Merlin whispered.

"Why not?" Arthur asked.

Merlin seemed unsure of a reason. "Well… um…" Arthur waited.

"There's uh… probably more guards there. You could get caught." Merlin said quickly. Arthur could tell he was lying, but he didn't push it.

"Anyway, I still have a few more days." Merlin added.

"I'll bring a feast, every single day we have left." Arthur promised.

It was a terribly cold morning, any hints of sunlight swallowed up by the clouds. A thick fog rolled over the land and a strong wind blew in from the north, carrying an awful stench that washed over the yard, and the house, and the garden. Arthur recognized the smell, it often hung heavy in the air around the fence in the field, but it had never reached the house with this intensity before. He simply didn't understand how rubbish could smell so terrible

Arthur sat silently on the front porch, a deep scowl on his face. He was missing one of his last days with Merlin, all because of some stupid meeting his father was holding. It seemed every Nazi in the country was at his house that day, or walking around the grounds. Sneaking away would be impossible with so many eyes watching him (and incredibly stupid to try). So Arthur was stuck on the porch (the meeting in the house was top secret, so he was kicked out) in a sour mood.

"Hello Arthur." Someone said from behind him. Arthur turned to lookup, just as Fritz sat down beside him. "You look cheerful."

"It is cold, I'm stuck outside and I've got nothing to do." Arthur said bitterly.

"You and me both." Fritz said sadly.

"Why aren't you in the meeting?" Arthur asked, still bitterly so Fritz wouldn't think they were friends. Every since the day they had met, Fritz had been trying to be friendly with Arthur. Arthur really didn't get why, maybe it was because he was the only one close to Fritz's age, but whatever the reason, Arthur wanted nothing to do with him. He was nice enough to Arthur, but he had heard how Fritz talked about the people in the camp. He was brutal, and bloodthirsty, and seemed to have no problem with starving children to death, in fact it made him laugh. Arthur also suspected that he fancied his sister, Morgana.

"Only senior officers allowed." Fritz explained.

"Oh." was all Arthur had to say.

A gust of wind blew through the yard, carrying the awful stench from the camp.

"Honestly, I don't understand how anything can smell this awful." Arthur muttered, choking on the air.

"They smell even worse when they burn, huh." Fritz said with a chuckle.

Arthur froze. "What?"

"Jews smell awful when they are burned." Fritz said more slowly.

"What do you mean when they are burned?"

"You didn't know? That's what the chimney's for, really that's what the whole place is for. It's not called an extermination camp for nothing."

Fritz laughed again, but shut up when he saw Arthur's face. A bizarre combination of rage and confusion, then finally fear.

"The people who are sent there, are they all burned?" Arthur asked, his voice shaking.

Fritz laughed, though somewhat uneasily. "Why are you freaking out? They're just Jews…"

Arthur didn't wait for Fritz to finish. He had already leapt off the porch and was halfway across, racing towards the garden as if his life depended on it. To hell with anyone who was watching, Arthur didn't care anymore.

"Where are you going?!" Fritz called after him, but Arthur was already out of sight.

Arthur tore through the garden and practically flung himself out of the small window in the shed. He could hear faint shouts in the distance as he hit the forest floor with a thud. He scrambled to his feet, his heart racing and his hands trembling. All he could hear was the pounding in his ears. Everything seemed to be spinning as Arthur stumbled through the forest, tripping over his own feet in his confusion and rage. He broke out of the forest and dragged himself across the field. He had no idea what he would do when he got to the fence, he had no plan and no way of breaking Merlin out even if he made it in time, but he didn't think about that now. All he could think about was Merlin.

As Arthur approached the fence, the smell grew worse. The air hung heavy with ash and smoke from the camp, making it hard for Arthur to breathe. What if he was too late? What if it was Merlin swirling in the air around him? The thought made Arthur want to vomit, but he pushed the feeling away and kept going. He had to get to the fence, he had to get to Merlin…

Arthur froze. There was the fence, standing tall in front of him as it always did, the land behind it was empty. There were no children working, no materials piled haphazardly around the field, and no boy sitting, waiting, in front of the fence. Everything was gone.

Everything seemed to stop. Arthur couldn't breathe, couldn't move, couldn't make a sound. This couldn't be real. This couldn't be happening. Another gust of wind blew through the field, and this time Arthur really did vomit. His leg gave out and he fell to his knees in front of the fence, choking on the air and choking on his tears. From behind him, something grabbed his shoulder and threw him back several feet.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Fritz shouted, towering over Arthur, who now was on his back in the dirt. Fritz reached down and pulled him to his feet roughly.

"Arthur! What the hell…"

Arthur finally found his voice. "How could you?!" He screamed. "You murderer! You disgusting piece of filth! They're people! They haven't done anything!"

"Calm down, Arthur!" Fritz shouted, still grabbing Arthur by the shoulders.

"Let go!" He hissed, then slapped Fritz across the face. "Let go!"

Arthur started throwing punches. "They didn't do anything!" Kicking and screaming and trying to hurt Fritz in anyway he could. Something cold hit him across the face, and Arthur collapsed to the ground.

"He didn't do anything. He didn't deserve this."

Everything was spinning, slipping away. Blood dripped into Arthur's eyes, but he couldn't feel any pain. Fritz stood above him, gun in hand, the handle stained bright red.

"We need to go. You can't be here." Fritz said softly, pulling Arthur to his feet. He started leading him back to the woods, as Arthur struggled to stumble along. He didn't fight back, he didn't care anymore. He just felt numb as Fritz dragged him along towards the house.

"I won't tell anyone where you were." Fritz said. "I can say you were in town."

"Why are you helping me?" Arthur mumbled.

Fritz stopped, and turned Arthur around so he was staring into his eyes.

"You know nothing about the smoke, or the chimney. You don't know anything about it, ok? It's a secret, and you know nothing about it."

"You weren't supposed to tell me." Arthur said, finally starting to understand.

Fritz turned him back around, and kept leading him towards the house.

"We'll both forget everything that just happened." Fritz said.


	2. Chapter 2

When Arthur got back to the house, he went straight to his room and locked the door. Fritz, just as he promised, made up some story to explain why Arthur ran off, and why his forehead was cut open. Uther didn't seem to care one way or another.

Arthur didn't leave his room for days. He spent hours just curled up in the corner, or on the windowsill, staring into nothing. Morgana noticed after a day or two, and started bringing him food, which he would only pick at before leaving it to the mice or mold. Morgana asked him what was wrong after the fourth day, but let up when he didn't answer. She hadn't asked since.

It was a beautiful days, one of the first sunny days for as long as Arthur could remember. Arthur found himself wandering through the house again. He had nowhere to go off to now, nothing to do, so he was back to sitting on the stairs or wandering through the house. It was different than before, though. The house had been surrounded by boredom then. Now it felt sinister. The people who were constantly coming to and from the grounds sickened Arthur. He was barely managing to keep himself together. He wanted to scream, or cry. He wanted all those disgusting soldiers gone, he wanted to burn the house to ground, he wanted to kill Father. Wandering around numbly seemed the only option left to him.

Arthur made his way down to the kitchen that morning, having stopped relying on Morgana for all his meals. He poked his head over the railing on the stairs, checking to see if the hallway was clear. Lately, Arthur had been doing everything he could to avoid the soldiers and his father. Luckily for him, the hallway was empty. He hurried down the hallway, then propped open the kitchen door slightly, peering into the room to check for any soldiers, especially Fritz. From what Arthur could see, the room was empty, so he opened the door and slipped inside. His heart stopped.

In the corner, which Arthur had not been able to see from the doorway, stood a thin boy dressed in blue and white stripes, and Fritz, who was leaning back against the wall lazily, his gun grasped firmly in his right hand. The boy stood huddled over one of the countertops as he appeared the be polishing something. He shook as he worked, but Fritz didn't seem to notice (or simply didn't care).

"Arthur!" Fritz shouted, noticing him standing in the doorway. The thin boy froze, turning his head slightly to peer at Arthur.

"Get back to work." Fritz yelled harshly, slapping Merlin across the face. It wasn't a particularly hard hit, but Merlin was incredibly weak and staggered back several feet and almost collapsed before catching himself on the counter.

Arthur had the sudden urge to punch Fritz, but clenched his fist and remained still. Any outburst would only hurt Merlin more.

"Can I help you?" Fritz asked after a moment of Arthur standing silently in the doorway.

Arthur couldn't take his eyes off of Merlin. He was shaking even more now, and seemed to be struggling to stand. His legs faltered for a moment, and he dropped a silver spoon before catching himself on the counter again.

Fritz raised his hand as if to slap Merlin again, but this time in his fist was his gun. "You lazy, good-for-nothing…"

"Father wants to see you in his office." Arthur blurted out before really thinking. This was a lie, and Fritz was bound to figure that out quickly. He lowered his arm and turned his focus towards Arthur.

"What for?" He spat.

Arthur shrugged. "Father didn't tell me."

Fritz sighed, then handed his gun to Arthur.

"Watch the boy." He said, then was gone.

Arthur dropped the gun as if it was on fire, desperate to get the hideous thing as far away from him (and Merlin) as possible.

"Oh Merlin" He whispered as he rushed across the kitchen to where Merlin stood and pulled him into his arms.

"Arthur." Merlin breathed before his legs finally gave out and he collapsed. He had somehow gotten even thinner since the last time Arthur had seen him, and he had lost what little color remained in his skin.

"I thought you were dead!" Arthur started to sob as he clung to Merlin. "I thought they burned you. Oh Merlin, they burn everyone. They're burning everyone"

"Shhhh" Merlin murmured. "It's ok. I'm alright."

"I thought I'd never see you again." Arthur whispered, cupping Merlin's thin face in his hands. "I thought I had lost you."

Merlin smiled. "You can't get rid of me that easily.

In that moment, Arthur realised what the months of those strange feelings towards Merlin meant. Without thinking, Arthur leaned down and kissed him.

Merlin shoved Arthur away, stumbling back several steps. He seemed terrified, more so than Arthur had ever seen him look before.

Arthur's head was spinning, he was sure he was going to be sick, or faint. "I-I-I'm s-so sorry." He stuttered. He reached out towards Merlin, who started shaking again.

Before Arthur could do anything else, the sound of footsteps echoed from the hallway. Merlin scrambled back to the counter, while Arthur quickly grabbed the gun from the floor moments before Fritz burst back into the room.

"What the hell Arthur!? You're father didn't need anything, and you made me interrupt his meeting! What…"

"So sorry. Must have misunderstood him. Won't happen again." Arthur mumbled quickly, shoving the gun back at Fritz then running from the room.

Arthur somehow ended up on the floor in Morgana's room. His first instinct had been to lock himself in his room and never come out again, but he was sick of hiding away in his room. He hadn't even been in his room for ten minutes and it was already driving him insane. He couldn't risk showing his face downstairs, the soldiers still made him sick and he was still determined to avoid Father at all costs, plus Merlin would be downstairs, so he decided to go with his only other option. Morgana's room.

It was so strange, sitting on the floor at the foot of the bed with Morgana beside him. They used to be best friends, they would tell eachother everything. Arthur couldn't count the number of nights he ended up on the floor in Morgana's room, or the number of lazy days they spent together just lying on the floor, complaining about silly things and being stupid. Arthur longed for the old days back in Berlin. He'd hardly seen Morgana since they moved to Poland. They rarely talked anymore.

"Are you going tell me what happened?" Morgana asked after several minutes of silence.

"It's a long story." Arthur muttered.

"Well, we've got time." Morgana noted.

Arthur didn't respond, another few moments of silenced passed.

Morgana sighed dramatically. "Spill."

"Fine." Arthur sighed. "I really messed up."

Arthur paused, trying to figure out how to explain everything.

"There's this friend of mine." He continued. "In town." He added quickly.

"Is that where you've been sneaking off to?" Morgana cut in.

"What?"

"Through the back garden?"

"You knew about that?" Arthur asked.

Morgana laughed. "Yes, of course. You are shit at sneaking around. Honestly, Arthur, you're lucky the soldiers are too busy do whatever the hell they do to notice you."

"Oh." Arthur muttered sheepishly.

"Anyway, you were saying about your friend…"

"Yeah, my friend." Arthur said. "Well, I kinda have a crush on this friend."

"Ah. I see." Morgana said, looking somewhat sympathetic. "What's her name?"

"Uh… her name is…" Arthur started. Merlin didn't sound like a girl's name. Shit. What was a good girl's name? "Uh… Lynn."

Morgana looked at him suspiciously. "You sure about that?"

"Yea. Lynn. Her name is definitely Lynn."

"Ok. What's the problem?"

Arthur turned red just thinking about it. "Well…" He stuttered. "I, uh, kissed hi...her. And then she freaked out."

Morgana laughed, which earned her a glare from Arthur. "Sorry. Not funny. Uh… so you kissed her."

"Yep."

"And then she freaked out."

"Yeah."

"Freak out in a good way or…"

"No, I don't think so."

"Did you apologize?"

Arthur looked down at the floor sheepishly. "Kinda… I tried. But then I sorta just ran away."

"Well, you could start there." Morgana said.

"What?"

"Talk to her. Apologize."

"You never know, it could work." Morgana added when she saw Arthur look of doubt.

"I guess I could try it." Arthur shrugged. "Yeah. I'll do that."

Arthur jumped up and started walking towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Morgana asked.

"To go talk to Lynn." Arthur answered.

"It's almost eleven, Arthur. You can't go to town now."

"Town?" He asked. Merlin was just downstairs, he didn't have to go to town.

"Well, that's where Lynn lives."

"Oh. Right. Of course."

Morgana gave Arthur the look she always gives him when she knows he's lying, but she didn't say anything.

"I guess, uh, I'll just go to bed then." Arthur muttered.

"Yeah. That's a good idea."

"Goodnight Morgana."

"Goodnight Arthur."

Arthur slipped silently into the hall, but immediately turned around and went back to Morgana's room.

"Hey Morgana." He whispered.

"Yes Arthur?"

"Can I sleep in here tonight?"

There was no answer. Perhaps she didn't hear him.

"Could I sleep in…"

"Yeah, come on." Morgana cut in. She moved over, leaving some room on the bed for Arthur.

"Goodnight." She muttered.

"Goodnight."

Arthur stood silently in the hallway, peering into the nearly empty kitchen. He could see Merlin through the slightly open door, sitting and working silently (peeling potatoes from the look of it) in the corner like before, though there was no guard this time as far as Arthur could tell. Luckily (or unluckily), Merlin hadn't noticed him yet. Arthur had been rooted to the spot for nearly an hour now, unable to take another step.

That morning, Arthur had gotten up at the crack of dawn. He was determined to find Merlin before anyone else had a chance to wake up, certain that it would be the only chance he'd get to actually talk to Merlin. He successfully crept out of Morgana's room and downstairs without making a sound, only to find a nearly empty house, save for him, Morgana, Father, and a few maids who lived in the servants' quarters in the attic. Merlin didn't actually live at the house, Arthur had figured out. He was brought over with the soldiers to work, but, like the soldiers, he still lived at the camp. Arthur had waited in the front parlour for several hours, watching for the soldiers and Merlin to appear in the front driveway. Of course, when they did, Arthur had lost his nerve and bolted back to his room. It took him two hours to work up the courage to go downstairs again, and twenty minutes to actually leave the staircase. He'd made it all the way to the hallway, and now was stuck.

Arthur no longer had the urge to rip off his own head, though he still couldn't believe what an idiot he had been. He still wanted to rip out all his hair, and was physically unable to step into the kitchen. Everytime he tried, his heart felt like it stopped and he was sure he would pass out. Maybe his heart would stop, then he would die and never have to face Merlin. One could hope.

Morgana's familiar voice sounded from the end of the hall. "Hey Arthur."

Before Arthur could do anything, Morgana walked down the hallway and threw open the door to the kitchen.

"Are you getting breakfast or are you just going to stand there?" She asked. She rolled her eyes, then grabbed Arthur by the arm and dragged him into the kitchen when he didn't answer.

Morgana released Arthur's arm and skipped over to the pantry, leaving Arthur to stand in shock in the middle of the kitchen. Merlin didn't stop working, but gave Arthur a quick, sideways glance.

"What do you want?" Morgana asked, peering into pantry. "We have bread… and… no eggs, no fruit, uh…bread. We have bread."

She grabbed two buns, and had started walking back to Arthur when she noticed Merlin.

"Oh, Hello." She said to him. "Who are you?"

"I'm Merlin." He responded hesitantly.

"What are you doing here?" Morgana asked.

Merlin shrugged. "I was brought from the camp."

Morgana stared down at Merlin for several moments, while Arthur held his breath. He was sure she would scream, or slap Merlin or do something. Arthur knew her hatred for Jews, and was sure it wouldn't take long for her to figure out that Merlin was one.

To his surprise, Morgana didn't say a word, simply turned around and left the kitchen.

Arthur stood awkwardly in the middle of the kitchen for several more moments of silence. He was shaking slightly, but noticed that Merlin was shaking more. For a moment, he forgot his fear and just wanted to protect Merlin.

"Are you ok?" He asked without thinking. Merlin nodded slightly.

"Are you hungry?"

Again, Merlin nodded slightly, as if moving hurt.

Arthur forgot his nerves, and rushed to the pantry, loading his arms with rolls and buns and several loaves of bread (Morgana was right, bread was really all they had at the moment. Guess rations affect even S.S. officers.) He ran back across the kitchen, sitting down in front of Merlin and practically shoving the food at him.

"Eat." Arthur commanded. "You look terrible."

Merlin didn't argue. He started devouring as much bread as he could possibly stuff in his mouth.

"When was the last time you ate?" Arthur asked jokingly.

"Three, maybe four days." Merlin said through a mouthful of bread.

Arthur sat quietly as Merlin finished off the rolls, and the buns, and didn't speak again until Merlin had begun picking at a loaf of bread.

"I… uh, w-w-wanted to apologize." Arthur stuttered. "For yesterday. I was an idiot. I don't know what I was thinking. I should've known you don't think of me _that_ way. I don't know what's wrong with me. I know you don't feel that way about me and I was just hoping that maybe we…"

"That's not why… I didn't…" Merlin mumbled, cutting Arthur off. "It wasn't that I don't feel that way about you."

"What?"

"But It doesn't matter how I feel or how you feel." Merlin said bitterly. "You can't feel that way. Don't you know what they do to people like you?! They'll throw you in the camp, blond hair and blue eyes and all. They don't care! If anyone ever finds out…" He stopped talking, trying to keep from crying.

Arthur reached across the table to take take Merlin's hand in his own, but Merlin jerked away.

"Don't." He warned. "You can't risk getting caught over me."

"You're worth it." Arthur whispered with a grin.

"No!" Merlin nearly screamed. "No one is worth it! You don't know what it's like in there!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean…" Arthur said quickly, taken aback by Merlin's sudden anger.

"You have no idea what it's like living in that hell!" Merlin screamed.

"Merlin…"

"I'm dying." He said, barely a whisper, his eyes brimming with tears. "I barely make it through each day as it is. I don't know what I would do if I had to see you suffer, if I lost you too." Arthur had never seen Merlin look so vulnerable.

"Alright." Arthur whispered.

The two sat in the silence for some time, avoiding the other's gaze.

"You should go." Merlin finally said.

Arthur didn't move for a moment. He knew Merlin was right, but he didn't know if he could just give Merlin up so easily.

"Arthur…"

"Can we still be friends?" Arthur asked earnestly.

Merlin smiled. "Yeah."

He extended his hand to Arthur, who took it in his own and shook it.

"Friends." Merlin declared.

"Friends." Arthur agreed.

Several peaceful, boring weeks flew by. Arthur had made a habit of waking up at the crack of dawn, before the rest of the world was awake, and slipping down to the kitchen to grab some food for Merlin. It was always easier to steal when everyone was asleep. Arthur would then get to wait several hours for Merlin to arrive.

Since Merlin had first started working at the house, several others from the camp had joined him. Most were made to work in the gardens surrounding the home, and a few occasionally helped Merlin in the kitchen. Frau Becke, the cook, was torn between being grateful for the extra help the prisoners provided, and nervous about letting jews work in her kitchen. She tolerated Merlin, but was wary of letting anyone else join him. "They might contaminate the food" she insisted.

Arthur kept slipping Merlin throughout the day, but kept his distance for the most part. He hated it, but knew Merlin was right. Arthur had been so caught up in everything he never bothered to figure out what his feelings for Merlin meant, at least, not until now. He'd read about people like him in the endless pamphlets and books his father had him read. He knew the danger he was in, and more importantly, the danger he had put Merlin in. He knew what he was.

_Homosexual_.

The whole situation was almost laughable. A top S.S. officer with a homosexual son in love with a jew. Arthur probably would laugh, if he wasn't so terrified. Thank god his father seemed to always ignore him, he was barely keeping it together as it was. If his father paid any attention to him, surely Arthur would break.

But his father did ignore him, so Arthur was left spending his days slipping food to Merlin, smiling absently mindedly to hide his panic, and hiding.


	3. Chapter 3

It had to be morning soon, it seemed to Arthur that he'd been staring at his bedroom ceiling forever. He did that a lot lately, staring into the darkness and waiting for morning to come. He rarely slept anymore.

Out of the corner of his eye something moved. A few months ago he might have done something, come up with some horrible explanation in his head (maybe an ax murderer had broken into the house) and freaked out, but he didn't really care about anything anymore.

_Let him kill me._

"Arthur?" the figure whispered. It was not an ax murderer standing at his bedroom door, it was Morgana.

"I can see you're awake." She said when he didn't respond.

Arthur groaned. He really wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone.

"What do you want?" He muttered reluctantly, sitting himself up.

"I'm going to town today. Do you want to come with me?"

"No, not really." Arthur responded. "I'd much rather just stay in my room all day."

"Arthur, you can't just shut everyone out, not forever." Morgana said sadly.

"Maybe not forever, but I can today." Arthur grumbled, burying himself in his blanket again.

"Come on! It's Christmas."

"Today is Christmas?" Arthur asked, sitting up again.

"You forgot?"

"I lost track of the days." Arthur admitted.

Morgana was silent for a moment. _Since when is Morgana ever at a loss for words?_

"Get up and get dressed." She finally said. "We're leaving in 10 minutes, end of discussion."

Arthur decided not to argue. Besides, maybe getting out would help him. Being stuck in this house was driving him insane.

True to word, Morgana came back exactly 10 minutes later and practically dragging Arthur out of the house (at least she grabbed him a coat on the way out).

"Why do we have to leave so early?" Arthur grumbled, stumbling through the darkness as Morgana dragged him down the rugged dirt road.

"Same reason you always sneak out of the back garden."

"Why couldn't we just sneak out the back garden then? We wouldn't have to be up at ungodly hours."

"This is much easier. Besides, nothing wrong with getting up bright and early."

"Yeah, except it's not bright." Arthur pointed out.

Morgana laughed. "The sun will be up soon."

"I didn't even have time to get breakfast, you know." Arthur complained.

"Here." Morgana said, pulling a roll from her coat. "I grabbed us breakfast on the way out."

"Oh." Arthur muttered. "Thanks."

They walked in silence for some time, Arthur picking at his roll. He wasn't actually that hungry, he just wanted an excuse to go home. Just as Morgana promised, within a few minutes the sun began to appear on the horizon. Arthur stopped tripping so much over cracks and bumps hidden by darkness, and within the hour the sun shone bright over everything.

The countryside really was beautiful in the early morning light. Rolling hills, and fields that stretched on for miles. Even though the flowers were twisted and dead, the trees frozen, the fields barren, it was beautiful. Arthur realized that, aside from the forest and the camp, this was the first time he'd left the grounds of the house in over a year. The further away he walked, the more it felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. How he'd love to share this morning with Merlin. His thoughts always wondered back to Merlin. Merlin, who didn't have the luxury to just walk away from his problems, to take a stroll through the countryside for the hell of it. Arthur was determined of one thing, he was going to get Merlin out of this mess.

"We're almost there." Morgana said, pointing to a small cluster of wooden buildings in the distance.

As they got closer to the town, the roads started to get better, and the side of the road was lined with what Arthur assumed to be powerlines. Something caught his eye a few meters ahead, hanging from one of the towering wooden poles.

"What is tha…" Arthur started to ask, then he froze. "Oh my god…"

It was the body of a man, strung up and rotting, eye sockets empty and gaping, his blackened flesh slowing peeling away from his bones. There was a wooden sign hanging from his twisted neck.

**Ich bin ein Verräter**

_I am a traitor_

Morgana had stopped too, noticing that Arthur was no longer following her.

"Come on." She whispered, pulling Arthur forward. "Don't look. Just don't think about it."

"Who did that?" Arthur asked weakly.

Morgana sighed, but kept dragging Arthur along. "The S.S." She explained. "That man was probably in the resistance. They hang their bodies up as a warning."

"Are there more?" Arthur asked.

"Just keep going, don't think about it." Morgana whispered.

There were more. They passed at least 20 more hung up along the side of the road before reaching town. Men, women, even a few children, all with wooden signs around their neck. _I am a traitor, I am a murderer, I am a coward… _One particular man stuck out in Arthur's mind. One of the last bodies they passed, his skull has been smashed in and his arm ripped off. He was a bloody mess, but he hadn't been there long, his body hadn't yet started to rot. It was his sign, though, that haunted Arthur.

**Ich bin homosexuell**

_I am a homosexual_

"Don't look." Morgana ordered when she saw Arthur staring.

_Too late._

Arthur couldn't even begin to describe how relieved he was to get to town. So much for a nice walk through the countryside, so much for forgetting all his worries. There was no escaping, it didn't matter how far he went. They don't call it a world war for nothing.

"Are you ok?" Morgana asked once they reached the town square.

Arthur didn't answer.

"You are going to be a terrible S.S. officer." Morgana said. It sounded like a bad attempt at a joke, but her face was completely serious.

"I won't do it. I won't join them" Arthur said.

Morgana just looked at him pitifully, like he was some stupid little child who didn't understand how the world worked.

"I won't." Arthur insisted. "I hate the S.S. I hate father and the soldiers! I hate the Nazis! I hate Hitler! I…"

Morgana slapped him, hard. He stumbled back, clutching his cheek. Any other person and he would have hit back, would have knocked them to the ground, but this was his sister.

"Don't ever say that." She whispered. Her voice sounded calm, but Arthur could recognize the fire in her eyes. "If anyone hears you…"

"Fuck them! I don't care."

"You idiot!" Morgana said through clenched teeth. "How do you think all those bodies ended up strung up and rotting on those power lines? Do you want to join them?"

The truth was, Arthur didn't care what happened to him anymore. Sometimes he thought it would be easier if he just died. But he did care what happened to Merlin, and Merlin still needed him. So Arthur kept his mouth shut, and just shook his head.

Morgana led him through the narrow cobblestone streets and hidden alleyways, weaving between colorful buildings.

"Where are we going?" Arthur asked, realizing he had no idea what they were doing in town.

"We're meeting some friends of mine." Morgana explained.

She kept leading him around, for another twenty minutes at least. Arthur was fairly certain they were going in circles.

"You aren't lost, are you?" He asked after passing the same yellow house for the third time.

"It's just up ahead."

After another five minutes or so, Morgana finally stopped in front of a small blue house tucked away in a corner at the end of an alleyway. Before she could knock, the front door swung open and a young woman, no older than Morgana, rushed out.

"Gwen!" Morgana exclaimed, pulling the young woman into a hug.

Arthur found himself staring, unable to look away. Yes, Gwen was beautiful, but there was something else. She was slender, but she didn't have that starved look about her that most people here seemed to have. Her brown hair hung in a mess of curls around her face, catching the sunlight so it looked gold. Her dangerously brown eyes seemed so full of life. That was it. She seemed so alive, despite everything. Even with dark, curly hair, even with dark eyes, even with dark skin.

Gwen turned to Arthur, who quickly looked away. She asked him something, but Arthur couldn't understand a word she said.

"He doesn't speak Polish." Morgana explained.

"Oh. Sorry about that." Gwen said in German. She didn't seem to struggle with the words, but her accent was strange. It wasn't Polish (Arthur had learned what that accent sounded like) or German. It sounded a lot like Merlin's. "I'm glad you came. We've heard so much about you."

Gwen grabbed Morgana by the hand and led her inside, Arthur following closely behind. The house was small, and though it seemed normal enough, Arthur couldn't shake the feeling that there was something very wrong. There were paintings everywhere, several on every single wall in the house. There seemed to be papers poking out from behind, sometimes a small corner of white, sometimes Arthur could make out the corner of a map, or a photograph. Tabletops were cluttered with massive stacks of papers, or various tool and bits of metal.

"Elyan!" Gwen shouted, then yelled something else in Polish. A few seconds later, a young man appeared in the doorway. He had the same eyes as Gwen, and the same color skin.

"This is my brother, Elyan." Gwen explained to Arthur.

"Pleased to meet you. I'm Arthur."

Elyan turned to Gwen expectantly, who quickly said something in Polish.

"He's pleased to meet you too." Gwen said.

"He doesn't speak German?" Arthur asked.

"No, only Polish."

"Oh. How did you learn then?"

"I went to school in Austria for a few years."

"Before all this shit started." Morgana added.

"Yeah." Gwen agreed. "Anyway, we're making brunch now in the kitchen. You can help if you want. Everyone else will be coming in a few hours."

"Everyone else?"

"You'll love them." Morgana insisted.

Gwen led the way back to the kitchen. The smell was wonderful, so much better than anything he'd had since the war started. The countertop was covered in food. There was the usual bread, but also eggs, and pastries, and cheese, and milk, and butter. They somehow had gotten chicken, and actual fruit too. Not even father was able to get so much food, not with the rations. How the hell did Gwen manage it?

"Oh! I got you a present." Gwen said, pulling two small packages from her pocket and handing one to Morgana, then to Arthur.

Morgana peeled away the brown paper, revealing the unmistakable markings of a candy wrapper.

"Chocolate?" Morgana exclaimed, looking at the bar in her hand in shock. "Guinevere, how the hell did you get this? I haven't even seen chocolate in years!"

"Gwaine got them. It's probably best you don't know how."

"This is… wow… this is amazing. Thank you."

The rest of the morning was spent cooking. Morgana had given Arthur a stool to sit in, and ordered him not to touch any food. He was insulted, and argued for awhile, but she was probably right. He'd probably burn the house down if they let him cook. When Morgana and Gwen turned their backs Arthur would swipe some of the food, determined to share this feast with Merlin, even if it was later. Elyan was in and out all morning, occasionally helping out a bit with the meal. Before long, more people started to arrive.

First came Lance, a French refugee who had gotten stuck in Poland trying to get to the Soviet Union. He had lived in a small village in Eastern France that was ransacked by the Nazis during the invasion, and his entire family was killed. He spoke everything, according to Morgana, and seemed to have no trouble speaking in both Polish and German. Next came Elena, a small Polish girl from a farm nearby. She had a kind smile, but also looked as if she could snap Arthur in two if she wanted to. She didn't seem to be any better at cooking than Arthur, and disappeared to help Elyan with something in the cellar after burning the second batch of eggs.

Then there was Percy and Gwaine, who came together about two hours late. Percy was massive, but had a kind smile and gentle eyes. He didn't talk much, he couldn't speak Polish or German very well, but he was eager to help out with brunch. He had fled some genocide in Ukraine, carried out by Stalin's men, a few years, only to get caught up in this mess in Poland. Lance somehow knew Ukrainian (maybe he did speak everything, as Morgana had claimed) and the two spent most of the morning talking about god knows what. Gwaine was Percy's opposite, small and full of fire. Nothing about him was gentle. He was from Germany originally, but left after his family fell out of favor with the Nazi party. He apparently didn't like Germans anymore, but didn't seem to mind Arthur.

Arthur just sat in the corner on his stool of shame, watching the bizarre scene unfold in front of him. Where did Morgana even find these people? At some point, Gwaine must have noticed Arthur sulking, and joined him in the corner.

"Don't feel bad." He said with a smile. "They won't let me touch the food either."

The last to arrive was Leon. Arthur had seen him hanging around the grounds before. He was in the S.S. and training to become an officer, Arthur recalled. He didn't know Morgana and him were friends.

"Don't worry about Leon." Lance said when he noticed Arthur staring. "We've flipped him."

"He's on our side now." Gwen added.

Arthur had no idea what they were talking about.

Before long, the meal was done and Gwen had managed to get everything laid out.

"Finally! I'm starving!" Elena announced, grabbing herself a plate.

"Hey Gwen, where's the whiskey?" Gwaine shouted across the room.

Gwen rolled her eyes. "Can't you stay sober for once? Today is a holy day!"

"It's not holy for us " Gwaine said pointing to himself and Lance.

"Leave me out of this." Lance said quickly.

Gwen sighed. "I don't have any whiskey, but we did manage to get some vodka."

"Even better!"

"Don't drink yourself to death." Gwen said, handing him the bottle. "We still have work to do."

Everyone else grabbed themselves plates and loaded them up with food. There wasn't a table to sit at, so everyone just found somewhere around the kitchen to eat, some sitting on countertops, or on the floor. The food didn't last long, and it was the best any of them had eaten in years.

They sat around the kitchen for hours, talking and laughing and passing the bottle of vodka around (Arthur never had any, he thought it tasted disgusting). Even though he couldn't understand most of what was being said, Arthur found himself actually having fun. Morgana could speak Polish apparently, and had no trouble keeping up with the conversation.

"We've lived in Poland for over a year, of course I can speak it." Morgana had said when Arthur asked her about it.

"Don't feel bad, I had to translate everything for her for over six months." Gwen whispered to Arthur when Morgana wasn't paying attention.

As the hours dragged on, everyone, even Morgana, steadily got more and more drunk. The vodka didn't last long, but Leon had brought some wine and what appeared to be whiskey (much to Gwaine's delight). At some point, Gwaine and Elyan got into a drinking contest. They both nearly passed out, and Elena ended up winning anyway.

"We should be getting home." Morgana announced after quite some time, untangling herself from Gwen. They had started off sitting side by side, but just kept getting closer as the day went on. Gwen was practically in Morgana's lap at this point.

"I'll walk you two home." Gwen offered.

After some lengthy goodbyes and a drunken kiss from Gwaine, they were off. It was dark when the three of them stepped outside. Arthur hadn't realized it had gotten so late. It only took them five minutes to walk to the outskirts of town, versus the twenty minutes it took to get there that morning.

"So you were lost." Arthur said.

"No" Morgana insisted, slightly slurring her words, "I was making sure we weren't being followed."

The walk home was mostly silent, Morgana and Gwen quietly whispering to each other while Arthur followed slightly behind. Just like that morning, Arthur kept tripping over hidden bumps and cracks in the road and stumbling through the darkness. It wasn't pleasant, but the darkness also meant Arthur wouldn't be able to see the bodies, so he didn't mind.

The night was clear and surprisingly warm for the time of year. The stars were incredibly clear and bright, more vibrant than Arthur had ever seen them. He could just stare up into the heavens and forget everything that was happening around him. The world may be changing, but the sky always remains the same. It was a small comfort.

As they got closer to the house, though, the stars began to fade. The air grew hazier, and the clouds began to cover the stars. No, not clouds. Smoke. There was the faint glow of flames in the distance that Arthur knew were coming from the camp. And all that weight that had been lifted off his shoulders came crashing down on him again.

Too soon, the house came into view. Each step towards the front gate was more difficult than the last. His one day of heaven was over, it was time for Arthur to return to hell.

Then he was standing on the front porch, standing in front of the huge front door. Morgana had told him to go on ahead of her while she hung back to say goodbye to Gwen. Arthur just couldn't bring himself to open that door.

He turned back to see where Morgana was. Still at the front gate with Gwen. He could have sworn she leaned in to k… No. It couldn't be. Must have been a trick of his eyes.

With nothing else to do, Arthur silently opened the door and slipped inside.


End file.
